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fairyribs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I went into this book expecting it to be a history of the Japanese colonial rule but instead I got an intimate portrait of a family and it’s fight for survival during and after colonialism. I never knew that people like the Zainichi existed and to see how many of them came to be was quite illuminating, along with the discrimination many Korean-Japanese people face today.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Mental illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Abandonment, Child death, and Colonisation
isadreamsof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I gave this five stars because it was the book to really get me out of my slump and make me love reading again. I personally found it hard to put down because I was so invested in the characters and what would happen to them. While there were things I wish had been done differently,
I found the language easy to digest and the plot easy to follow despite its large cast. The characters felt so real to me too, and I would say this is one of those books I want to forget to experience for the first time all over again.
Was this heartbreaking? Yes. Will I recommend it? Absolutely.
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia
Fortunately, the book does not romanticize any of these things, but they're still very present elements in the story.alisonannk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Death, Dysphoria, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, and Murder
chels_ebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Homophobia
lovememore_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia
gm_vak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Car accident, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Ableism, Cancer, War, Colonisation, Classism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, War, Car accident, Grief, Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Abortion
nila's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, War, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, and Child death
Minor: Abortion, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use
ntvenessa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Suicide, and Car accident
Minor: Child death and Homophobia
bookstorian's review against another edition
4.5
Set across Korea and Japan, 'Pachinko' is a multi generational story which explores the Korean experience in Japan during a volatile century. Exploration of family, suffering, nature vs nuture, home, identity and belonging were also wrapped into the story making it a compelling and memorable story of survival and love.
The intergenerational racism experienced by the characters was just one of the many things that I learnt about this period of time within both nations that ultimately chartered their future. Each of the characters had a complex stories and struggles with identity, for me Kyunghee was an especially admirable character for her loyalty, endurance, friendship and optimism. Interestingly, the book title 'Pachinko' also paints a gaming metaphor for life and the realisation that you need to play the game of life using the cards that you have been dealt.
Unfortunately the story did seem to leap across the stories of love and joy experienced by the characters which did prevent the book hitting that final .5 of a star.
The Vegan Korean Cookbook is a great companion to this read.
Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, Cancer, and Racism